Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a large molecular weight lipid compound that is produced in the liver and other organs. The total human body content is 1.4 to 1.8 grams depending on the individual's age and fitness level. CoQ10 is found in all tissues of the body. It is mostly concentrated in the mitochondria and other organelles that help the body metabolize nutrients into energy. These include organs with high levels of metabolic activity. Organs, whose primary purpose is energy production, tend to store and use CoQ10 in large amounts. Such organs include the heart, liver, and skeletal muscle tissue. The heart and skeletal muscle of an aaverage human contain about 1000 mg of CoQ10. This is in contrast to metabolically inactive body components such as the blood, which only contains about 4 mg of CoQ10. However, blood plays an important role in as a CoQ10 reservoir. Blood helps to transport CoQ10 from endogenous CoQ10 made in the liver and exogenous CoQ10 absorbed from digested food in the intestinal tract. Endogenous CoQ10 accounts for approximately 56 percent of the body's supply. The remaining 44 percent must be provided through diet and supplementation. These numbers are currently being studied but the latest studies indicate lower endogenous production of CoQ10,, which indicates a significant deficiency, in correlation with increased age. Furthermore, certain disease states such as cardio myopathy and high cholesterol levels, which are treated with Statin drugs, seem to deplete endogenous CoQ10 production thereby indicating a need for supplementation. These deficiencies in the nutrient have no relation to daily caloric intake but are indicative of poor vitamin absorption from ingested foods. The body requires the addition of vitamins to aid in the endogenous production of COQ10; in particular, the B Vitamins play a crucial role in this synthesis.
The human body's need for CoQ10 varies between individuals. Factors that affect this are age, physical activity, and health. The body uses an estimated 5 to 9 mg per day of CoQ10. This nutrient is essential for life because it is important in the synthesis of energy. The vast majority of energy synthesis occurs in the mitochondria of cells. Here CoQ10 primarily functions as an electron carrier in the Electron Transport Chain where Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is synthesized. CoQ10 donates an electron during ATP synthesis and is subsequently oxidized. CoQ10 also can function as an antioxidant during synthesis where oxidation removes its electron making it non-functional for use in ATP synthesis.
Conditions of high metabolic stress deplete the body's endogenous supply of CoQ10. Because of this, CoQ10 supplementation becomes necessary to meet the body's requirement for energy production. Under these conditions, dietary supplementation is shown effective provided that the nutrient is delivered in an ideal form. An improved soft gelatin formulation and process of CoQ10 soft gel manufacturing has been used to improve conditions associated with heart failure, chronic fatigue, and for patients with psoriasis and plantar warts. In all of these, an improved soft gelatin formula has been clinically proven, at doses of 30-100 mg/day, to be superior to 60 mg/day dry capsules and previoously available 100 mg/day soft gel formulas.
Research has had difficulty ascertaining the appropriate CoQ10 dose for a diseased individual in comparison to a normal individual. However, the normally recommended dose of 10 to 30 mg/day has been found to be ineffective for individuals with significant deficiencies. For the past 15 years, it has become accepted that poor intestinal absorption of certain forms of CoQ10 limits the effectiveness of its use. Because of this, dosages of 50 mg, 100 mg and even 150 mg are commercially available to the consumer, but at a considerable expense. This deters many persons from supplementing their diets with sufficient CoQ10, a fact that can have deleterious health effects.
Folkers et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,669) addresses a soft gel capsule with CoQ10 and at least one vegetable oil carrier. This formula was found to increase blood basal levels of CoQ10 to 2.5 g/ml in comparison to 1.6 g/ml from an equivalent 100 mg dose of a dry powder formulation. While many different CoQ10 formulas claim increased intestinal absorption of the nutrient, the data supporting these claims are often inconclusive.
It is clear that a far more efficient formula will produce better results with less CoQ10 than traditional soft gel or dry formulations.